Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Because there are now millions of free blogs we have the opportunity
to dip into lots of different kinds of writing and to sample quite different
approaches to recurring topics or themes. Doing this kind of reading randomly
can have wonderful results. It's called serendipity which involves surprise
discoveries and unexpected connections.

Serendipity is, of course, an eighteenth century word (1754). While
we may consider that the period of the Enlightenment was obsessed with reason, system,
order and process, the variety of different kinds of topical, fictional and
journalistic writing offered many opportunities for fluid expression by
creative people and mercurial personalities.

Serendipity is also a useful strategy for broadening your
interests and for avoiding the so-called writer's block.

I believe that all great writers are also intelligent
critical readers. I despair when I hear people saying that they want to write,
but then proceed to say that they are not interested in other people's work. Sometimes
it's a good idea to imitate or parody writers that you like or dislike.
(Imitation is not the same as copying.)

Part of writing is a craft, and it's good to learn the rules
before you start to break them creatively. There are plenty of style and grammar
manuals on the market.

In order to establish your own voice and style it’s
essential to compose regularly. It is also correct to say, in my view, that improvements
come slowly over a period of time. In the art of writing there are few miracles
that manifest themselves overnight. And genius is 90% effort and training. Learning
to write fluently and effectively can be as difficult as learning to play an
instrument such as the piano, violin, or guitar,

It is crucial to be self-critical, but you should avoid
becoming self-destructive. Think about how you would the improve blogs that you
wrote 6 months ago. Reviewing past material should also build your confidence
by giving you a sense of progression.

Also, ask yourself how you are responding to an issue, and
think about the kind of reader that you have in mind - this is also something
that you can research. These days, writers tend to know who they are writing
for.

I would also say that blogging is a genre in itself. This
means that you will need to write differently when you turn your blogs into a
larger article, essay, or book. Typically, the most popular blogs are very
personal, or they offer lots of tips in bullet points. That said, there are
REALLY no fixed rules or expectations for this genre. My own blogs have a
variety of styles, and I see them sometimes as experiments, and as
work-in-progress.

Another positive aspect of blogging is that you can break a larger
project down into smaller components, or event fragments that do not fit
together as you compose them. After a period of time you start to see links
between the pieces, and new patterns of significance are established.

Finally, one of the most valued aspects of blogging is the
opportunity for dialogue and what we have come to term interactivity.

In our time, writing is a bit more collaborative and a
little less solitary.

Quote from Wiki:

"Although not a must, most good quality blogs are
interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other
via GUI widgets on the blogs, and it is this interactivity that distinguishes
them from other static websites. In that sense, blogging can be seen as a form
of social networking. Indeed, bloggers do not only produce content to post on
their blogs but also build social relations with their readers and other
bloggers."